Back to School 2011

(This article will appear in the August 2 Guernsey Gazette.)

As Guernsey-Sunrise Schools begin gearing up for a new school year (yes, it is less than a month away as I write this), I am reminded of how quickly summer seems to go each successive year. The theme for this year is “Saddle Up for Success” and I’ve taken a little different turn than when I first started thinking about this theme.

July means different things to different persons. It’s Independence Day, mid-summer, hot days, swimming, and the month before school starts again. It is also the month for the Tour de France and as this grand bicycle race nears the end, an exciting finish is in store for those that follow it. While saddling up in the West is generally connected with horses and cowboys, bicycle riders also saddle up and the Tour reminds me of some principles that educators, students, parents, and community members can use to help our students achieve the kind of success we all envision.

The Tour is a 21-stage race that covers a lot of miles, through high alpine mountains and long days in the saddle. It takes a lot of work and determination just to finish a grand tour such as this, much less find a podium spot at the end. Education is a little like that; covering a lot of days and years, through many different content areas to reach the finish line. But like the Tour, even though it ends at a certain point – a school year like a stage or graduation akin to finishing the Tour – there is more to do. Students must be prepared to exit one point, whether that is a school-year or their K-12 career, and move on to the next event or experience in their life, ready to resume learning.

Another similarity between the Tour and school is the way teams work together to achieve success. Particularly on the flat stages, sprinters’ teams work hard to reel in breakaway riders and give their teammates a chance for a stage victory. In the mountains, teammates can help guide a top rider to better place in the overall rankings.

In education, teachers, students, parents, and community members working together provide their students a much better opportunity to be at the front of the pack at the end of a year and the end of their career. Just like breakaway riders, outside influences – legislation, accountability rhetoric and rules, and state and federal regulations – force education teams to work together to help students in their quest for true success. And having teammates during the grueling “mountain” stages that can crop up during their education provides students with support to go the distance and finish strong.

At Platte County School District #2, we continue to work at providing opportunities to collaborate. This past year, a 1-to-1 computer initiative was implemented to help students take advantage of technology, collaborate with each other and staff, and use “on-demand” learning opportunities to learn more deeply. Teachers are continuing to train to integrate technology into lessons and motivate students through project-based learning. As we race further into the 21^st century, we will continue to find ways to provide our students the best education that will prepare them for their Grand Tour through life.

Get in control

Steve Siebold is the author of Mental Toughness, and gives pretty good advice on what it takes to be successful. In a recent email, he talked about focusing on the things we can control and not wasting time worrying about those things we can't. This particular message centered on getting fit and thus having the energy for opportunities when they arise. Too often, it seems, we worry about things outside our control and don't focus our energies on getting better in the areas we have under our control. It reminds me of the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Passion-based learning

Here is an interview about passion-based learning. Quite similar to finding student interests and helping spark a fire for learning in each student.

Graduation and Bob Dylan

As graduation gets closer here at Guernsey-Sunrise and is happening across the country this month and next, I am drawn to items that tie into that theme. Of course, so many of the lessons we would like graduates to learn and take with them are lessons we all can be reminded of from time to time.

This one comes from an article on Bob Dylan. I find it interesting as I am a big fan of his and used to write Christmas letters with musical themes in the past, one of which had one of his songs embedded. I've gotten away from some of those things, but this article and some of the thoughts in it bring me back to thinking about how it relates to success.

In the article, the author writes about Dylan "owning the room." In it, he emphasizes that "owning the room isn't about being larger than life - it's about making the room larger by injecting it with life." Dylan certainly did that and the one point that was made, he seemed to do better than most. That was point 6 - daring to "live by a different script." We all have our own way of seeing the world and must strive to not let the world take away our authentic self. If graduates, and all of us for that matter, can work to make their own unique voice heard and their talents surface, the world would be better off for the effort.

Continuous learning

One of the nice things about having "Learner" as a strength is the ability to come away with something from just about every conversation, meeting, or experience. Attending last night's GS athletic banquet, I was struck by something coach Glenn Freeburg said about his track athletes - their goal was to improve their times every meet. As I thought about that this morning, I had a thought that continuous improvement should be the goal in everything we do. This is true for track athletes, in our relationships, in our job, and in everything we put an effort into doing. As our graduates prepare to leave high school, beginning with commencement on Sunday, that is one message I hope they hear. Continue working hard to get better and continuously look for ways to improve whatever it is they decide to do. While there will certainly be setbacks along the way, thinking that way will certainly make for success in many areas.